Mitsuru Jindai

Development of a shake-motion leading model for human-robot handshaking

In this paper, we analyze the handshake motion between humans and propose a shake-motion leading model based on the analysis. The proposed shake-motion leading model generates a leading motion in order to shift from an approaching motion to a shake-motion. Furthermore, a handshake robot system that adopts the proposed model is developed, and the effectiveness of the proposed model is demonstrated by the sensory evaluation using the developed handshake robot system. The shake-motion leading model that the hand movement direction to begin the shake-motion is determined by the contact height of the robot and the human hand, is acceptable to humans.

Development of a handshake robot system based on a handshake approaching motion model

Handshake refers to embodied interaction using physical contact for closeness. In this paper, we analyze the handshake approaching motion between humans in cases with and without voice greeting and propose a handshake approaching motion model based on the analysis. In this model, a robot can generate handshake approaching motion that is emotionally acceptable to humans by using the second-order lag element and the dead time element from trajectory of human hand. Furthermore, a handshake robot system that adopts this proposed model is developed and motion characteristics of handshake approaching motions with and without voice greeting are analyzed using analysis-by-synthesis technique. The effectiveness of this model and the handshake robot system are demonstrated by sensory evaluation.

Development of a handshake request motion model based on analysis of handshake motion between humans

A handshake is an embodied interaction to display closeness using physical contact. In the case of a handshake between a human and a robot, robots can now smoothly communicate and coexist with humans without eliciting feelings of aversion in humans. To enable such a handshake, we proposed a model that simulates a handshake approach motion by analyzing the human-human handshake motion. With this model, a robot generates a handshake motion when a handshake is requested by a human. However, embodied interaction between a human and a robot can be promoted if, instead, a robot requests a handshake from a human. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a handshake request motion model with which a robot requests humans for a handshake. In this model, a robot stretches its hand out to a human to request a handshake. Furthermore, a gaze presentation is generated based on the analysis of the handshake between humans. A handshake robot system with the proposed model is developed, and the effectiveness of the model is experimentally demonstrated.

Human-robot interface with instruction of neck movement using laser pointer

A human-robot system in which a mobile robot follows the movement of the laser spot projected on the floor by the laser pointer attached at the human head is considered. Human gives instruction of desired movement to the robot by rotating his or her head. Robot can realize intended movement by following the movement of the laser spot on the floor. Kansei controller is introduced between the instruction movement of the laser spot and following motion of the robot to realize psychologically acceptable motion of the robot. In addition, three modes, stopping mode, following mode, and parameter adjustment mode for the Kansei controller, are considered. The effectiveness of the proposed system was discussed experimentally, and confirmed by the smooth trajectory of the following motion of the mobile robot and good psychological evaluations.

Development of a Handshake Robot System for Embodied Interaction with Humans

It is expected that robots will play an important role in social welfare and service for the older citizens. These robots should display an emotional aspect to make them more acceptable to humans. Humans shake hands in order to greet each other and display a feeling of closeness. A handshake is the embodied interaction with contact by which humans can directly share embodied rhythms. In this paper, we develop a handshake robot system for embodied interaction. The robot can generate the handshake approaching motion that is acceptable to human emotion by using secondary delay elements from the trajectory of a human hand. The effectiveness of this handshake robot is demonstrated by sensory evaluation

A small-size handshake robot system based on a handshake approaching motion model with a voice greeting

We previously proposed a model for a handshake approaching motion with a voice greeting and developed a handshake robot system that applied the proposed model for embodied interaction with humans. The handshake robot system was fabricated by considering the average size of a human arm. However, small-size embodied interaction robots are required for use in homes. Therefore, in this study, a small-size handshake robot system is developed for use in the home. Furthermore, a hand position recognition method that involves a combination of an image processing and a 3D model of a human arm is proposed, and the method is adopted in the developed robot system to recognize the position of a human hand without requiring prior contact or any restrictions on humans. The effectiveness of the handshake approaching motion model for a small-size robot and the developed small-size handshake robot system are demonstrated by sensory evaluation.

A handshake robot system based on a shake-motion leading model

Handshake refers to embodied interaction using physical contact for closeness. In this paper, we analyze the handshake motion between humans and propose a handshake approaching motion model and a shake-motion leading model based on the analysis. In the handshake approaching motion model, a robot can generate handshake approaching motion that is accepted psychologically by humans using the second-order lag element and the dead time element from trajectory of human hand. Furthermore, a shake-motion leading model generates a leading motion in order to transit from approaching motion to shaking motion. A handshake robot system that adopts these proposed models is developed. The effectiveness of these models is demonstrated by sensory evaluation using the handshake robot system.

A speech-driven embodied group entrainment system with the model of lecturer's eyeball movement

We have already developed a speech-driven embodied group entrained communication system called “SAKURA” for activating group interaction and communication. In this system, a speech-driven computer graphics (CG) characters called InterActors with functions of both speaker and listener are entrained to one another as a teacher and some students in a virtual classroom by generating communicative actions and movements. In this study, for the basic research of realizing smooth communication during embodied interaction between human and robot, we analyzed the eyeball movements of a lecturer communicating in a virtual group by using an embodied communication system with a line-of-sight measurement device. On the basis of the analysis results, we propose an eyeball movement model that consists of a saccade model and a model of a lecturers gaze at an audience, called “group gaze model.” Then, we developed an advanced communication system in which the proposed model was used with SAKURA for enhancing group interaction and communication. This advanced system generates a lecturers eyeball movement on the basis of the proposed model by using only speech input. We used sensory evaluation in the experiments to determine the effects of the proposed model. The results showed that the system with the proposed model is effective in group interaction and communication.

A small-size handshake robot system for a generation of handshake approaching motion

Humans often greet one another using a handshake, a common gesture of friendship. In the case of a human and a robot, the robot can smoothly begin to communicate and coexist with humans without feelings of aversion in humans; if it generates a handshake motion that is emotionally acceptable to humans. Thus, we have proposed a handshake request motion model and a handshake respond motion model to generate a handshake approaching motion prior to actually shaking hands with the human. In the handshake request motion model, the robot stretches its hand out to a human to request a handshake. In the handshake respond motion model, the robot responds a handshake when the human requests a handshake. The effectiveness of these models is demonstrated by experiments using a handshake robot system which is fabricated based on the average size of a human arm. Therefore, in this paper, we develop a small-size handshake robot system that uses the handshake request motion model and the handshake respond motion model to generate a handshake approaching motion with a human. The effectiveness of the robot system is demonstrated by sensory evaluation. Furthermore, a handshake motion between robots is realized by using two small-size handshake robot systems which are adopted these models.

A Study of Avoidance Plannings of Robots Considering Human Emotions

Avoidance plannings of robots considering human emotions are discussed in this paper. When a robot avoids a human in the same workspace, two conditions should be satisfied in the avoidance motion. That is, the robot should keep desirable distance to the human and the motion trajectory should have smooth profiles, which gives human good impressions. From this point of view, a simple control rule of a robot in which the robot follows human motion keeping a desirable distance (following distance) is adopted first. Relation between the following distance and task speed of the robot, and human emotion is psychologically evaluated using a two dimensional robot. Next, an improved control method in which the results of the psychological evaluation are used for determining the following distance is considered using fuzzy inference. The effectiveness of the control method is experimentally clarified.